Hamburg, Germany/ Abingdon, UK - Evotec OAI AG, Hamburg, Germany (Neuer Markt: EVT), a supplier of integrated high-value added drug discovery services, today announced the appointment of Dr Dirk Horst Ehlers to the Chief Financial Officer position. Dr Ehlers will be responsible for Finance and Administration, Controlling and Investor Relations within the Company. In this position he succeeds Joern Aldag who was appointed to Chief Executive Officer at Evotec OAI as of 1 July, 2001.
"I am delighted to welcome Dirk Ehlers as new member of Evotec OAI's Management Board. Dirk brings an excellent combination of sector specific business and financial background to our team to further build on our leadership position as a provider of drug discovery and development solutions," said Joern Aldag (President and CEO).
Dr Ehlers, 40, has more than seven years experience in the healthcare industry where he held various general management positions. Before joining Evotec OAI he was Member of the Management Board at Fresenius Kabi AG, Bad Homburg, Germany, where he had global responsibility for one of its divisions including Finance and Administration, Research and Development, Marketing and Sales, Manufacturing and Procurement.
Dr Ehlers received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University RWTH Aachen in 1988.
 
About Evotec OAI
Evotec OAI offers the full range of high-value added products and services required to discover and develop drugs more effectively and efficiently. By integrating accelerated methods in biology, chemistry and screening, the Company has established a unique position as a one-stop-shop for all the critical elements in the drug discovery research and development process from target to clinical development. Approximately 540 people are based in Hamburg, Germany and Abingdon, U.K. Evotec OAI already has close links with many of the leading companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries including Novartis, Pfizer,
GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis, Pharmacia/Sugen, Eli Lilly, Bayer, BMS, Roche, Amgen, Biogen, Vertex, Serono and Immunex. The Company's shares are listed on the Neuer Markt of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.